Botswana's central bank keeps lending rate at 5 percent

GABORONE, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Botswana’s central bank left its benchmark lending rate unchanged at 5 percent on Monday, saying the outlook for price stability was positive with inflation expected to remain with its target range.

“The current state of the economy and the outlook for both domestic and external economic activity suggest that the prevailing monetary policy stance is consistent with maintaining inflation within the objective range of 3 – 6 percent in the medium term,” the bank said in a statement. (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Toby Chopra)